This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Maple Leafs in playoffs: Scoring depth gives Bruins an edge

A glimpse at the NHL’s playoff scoring standings tells you something about this Boston-Toronto series: It tells you Boston’s second line is the biggest reason why the Bruins are ahead 2-1.

The trio of David Krejci, Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton are all among the top-10 post-season scorers heading into Tuesday’s games. Krejci leads the league with two goals and seven points. Nobody has more than Lucic’s six points (although because Lucic has six assists, he is technically ranked fifth in scoring). Meanwhile, Horton’s three goals and one assist have him tied for ninth with Pascal Dupuis.

If it underlines anything, it’s Boston’s depth. The Bruins’ first line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin has combined for precisely one point in the series. (Indeed, it’s debatable which of Boston’s top two lines should be deemed its “first”). No matter the lack of production from the Bergeron unit, the Bruins have outscored the Leafs a combined 11-7 in three games. All that dominance and only one Boston forward not on the Krejci line has managed more than one point; that’d be Dan Paille, whose unassisted shorthanded marker in Monday’s 5-2 Boston win gave the Bruins a 4-1 lead.

Paille is a staple on the fourth line that also includes Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton. The latter, a former Maple Leafs draft pick who grew up in Oshawa, nearly scored a pretty goal on Monday night, cutting from the left side across the top of the crease and finding Reimer in full butterfly. All Thornton had to do was lift the puck over Reimer’s pad; he failed.

Article Continued Below

“I was surprised I even made that move. I shocked myself,” Thornton told reporters. “I knew I had to go upstairs and I tried to get enough leverage on it, but I just couldn’t get it over his pad.”

The Bruins also got a huge contribution from their third line on Monday. Centre Rich Peverley scored a goal after a Jaromir Jagr picked the pocket of Toronto defenceman Ryan O’Byrne and fed Peverley tight. And Peverley, too, won 10 of his 11 faceoffs on a night when the Bruins won 60% of draws all in.

While Boston happily rolled its lines and saw contributions from most, on Monday night, by contrast, the Leafs’ two goals both came with its first line of Tyler Bozak, Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk on the ice.

More from the Toronto Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com